Florence was governed by a council called the Signoria which consisted of nine men. The head of the Signoria was the Gonfalonire, who was chosen every two months in a lottery, as was his Signoria. To be eligible, someone had to have sound finances, no bankruptcies, he had to be older than thirty, had to be a member of Florence's seven main guilds. The lottery was often pre-determined, and the results were usually favorable to the wealthy families who, obviously, had a lot of money.
The main parts or, organs, of government were known as the Tre Maggiori. They were: the twelve good men, the standard bearers of the Gonfaloniere, and the Signoria. The first two debated and ratified proposed legislation, but could not introduce it. The Gonfaloniere’s initial two month-term in office was expanded upon the fall of Savonarola in 1498, to life, much like that of the Venetian Doge. The Signoria held meetings each day in the Palazzo Della Singnoria. Various committees controlled particular aspects of government.. For administrative purposes, Florence was divided into four districts, which were divided into four sub-districts. The main purpose of these counties was to ease the gathering of local militias.
To hold an elective office, one had to be of a family that had previously held office.
The Medici family ruled Florence on a hereditary basis, from 1434–1494, 1512–1527, 1531, until 1533, when Alessandro de Medici was created Duke of Florence, thereby turning Florence into a hereditary monarchy.
Florence was governed by a council called the Signoria which consisted of nine men. The head of the Signoria was the Gonfalonire, who was chosen every two months in a lottery, as was his Signoria. To be eligible, someone had to have sound finances, no bankruptcies, he had to be older than thirty, had to be a member of Florence's seven main guilds. The lottery was often pre-determined, and the results were usually favorable to the wealthy families who, obviously, had a lot of money.
The main parts or, organs, of government were known as the Tre Maggiori. They were: the twelve good men, the standard bearers of the Gonfaloniere, and the Signoria. The first two debated and ratified proposed legislation, but could not introduce it. The Gonfaloniere’s initial two month-term in office was expanded upon the fall of Savonarola in 1498, to life, much like that of the Venetian Doge. The Signoria held meetings each day in the Palazzo Della Singnoria. Various committees controlled particular aspects of government.. For administrative purposes, Florence was divided into four districts, which were divided into four sub-districts. The main purpose of these counties was to ease the gathering of local militias.
To hold an elective office, one had to be of a family that had previously held office.
The Medici family ruled Florence on a hereditary basis, from 1434–1494, 1512–1527, 1531, until 1533, when Alessandro de Medici was created Duke of Florence, thereby turning Florence into a hereditary monarchy.
References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Florence
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Republic_of_Florence
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/?period=08®ion=eustc